₦airaland Forum

Sorry for derailing this thread, but texazpeete, Achebe is the most famous Nigerian/African writer, not Soyinka, irrespective of the later's clinching the Nobel prize. The NY times conferred that title on Achebe, and even in America, his books are very popular and amongst discussions in the literary field, based on my observations, he is more popular than Soyinka.

For those of you who are unhappy over our criticisms at Nigeria, let me give you this scenario. Supposing you have a child, who is very bright in school, but keeps coming home with B, and youknow that he is capable of acheiving a higher grade, and even their teachers have attributed his less than stellar grades to slacking off, what would you do? Would you criticize him and try to encourage them to devote more time to their studies, or would you just overlook his grades and applaud him?

Nigeria is like a child who consistently comes home with a bad grade. Out here in the States, no joke, some people who are conversant with the country do wonder why Nigeria has not been able to conquer the negativity that has surrounded it. It is a shame, and before anybody criticizes me, let me tell you this, I do like Nigeria.

I was about to post a similar topic yesterday. Is Rock music devilish or not? How do you know what song is devilish or not?

Orikinla, where is it written in the Holy Bible that Moses had two wives?

Not that she told me directly, but what I observed from my mom was that she never sweated over small stuff. My advice. Never be bitter, aint worth it.

Nigeria was such an awesome place to live!. I miss my country dearly. I wonder if such memories would be there for me when I ever move back home.

What happened to this musician who was a protege of Sonny Okosun? Her name is Yvonne Maha. She was a sensation in the early 80's. About Evi Edna Ogholi, I did not know too much about her, but yeah, I did read some unsavory reports about the state of her marriage to Emma Ogosi. Thought they had reconciled.

"Hard to Kill", first time I watched that move in Nigeria was so entertaining and filled with suspense and drama. What a movie!

Widows need to assert themselves in Nigeria, but they seem burdened by traditions of our land. Same stuff happened to my cousin, a Medical doctor, her properties were seized by her inlaws, on one condition - - -, that she marries her husband's eldest brother. Can you imagine that? But there was no incident of some sort when my father died. I guess it it had to do with my mom's assertive nature, so when my dad died and was buried, everybody returned back to their tents.

Meanwhile read my short story detailing the challenges faced by widows in their household.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-28531.0.html

No place in this world is immune to tragedies. Africa is infamous for famine and hunger, the West is plagued by hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes, while Asian countries are relatively unscathed by the tsunamis. What else is there?

I think a credit in literature is another criteria that law schools back home insist on. Remember that was the case at Uniuyo/Unicross during my days as a student.

Did Oprah really say that all Nigerians are corrupt or are people just putting words in her mouth?

How feasible would that amount last you, for the rest of your life in Nigeria? One Nigerian guy is planning on moving back home, as soon as he is done with his degree next year. He laid out his plans for me, engaging in oil businesses, to increase revenues for himself. I applauded his idea of moving, and quite frankly, thought he was making the best move. 200k, certainly can get him a house in a nice part of Nigeria, a car, and if he chooses his investments wisely, can live off the interest. But what if he chooses to forego the biz route, and rather, concentrate on living off the interest, would that be attainable?

Thank God for His continued Mercies to us in Jesus Name, Amen.

It is always nice to read of such miracles.

Priceless, because of Jesus Christ!. I put my faith in Him, because He died for me on the Cross in Calvary. And that is GREATER than all the riches of this world.

Enitan, I can confirm the authenticity of the report that I read in a magazine about the belief harbored by Awo's 'disciples' that he was going to rise on the third day, so dont excoriate me on what I read. I can recall though that at least one periodical wrote that prior to his death, he had told his relatives/friends that he would be moving on to a different world. Basically, what he was saying was that he would be reincarnated in a different part of the world. Do I believe in reincarnation? No!

Jesu of Onyingbo, the founder (?) of Cele also made that assertion which did not come to pass, and I know that. I read it in Newswatch magazine in the 80's. Same applies with Awolowo, because that was what I read. Now, did he actually believe that he would rise again on the third day? That I cant say for sure, but the periodical that I read claimed that his disciples thought he would rise on the third day.

It was addressed to King David when he feigned madness and moved to another place. Have forgotten the name of the ruler who made that statement.

Does it have to be 10 percent? My understanding, which may be flawed, is that one's tithe is not restricted to a certain percentage, as it was just about the norm in the Old Testament (10%)

So, what of those who were born abroad, but grew up in Nigeria@shango? Fact remains, I am a Nigerian at heart. Nobody can strip me of my Nigerian Nationality, and that's it!. I have the right to criticize the shortcomings of the Nigerian government if the need arises, just as I can praise them too.
The fact that some people criticize Nigeria does not mean that they hate the country. Having lived abroad and observed how the system is operated efficiently, you can't help but wish that our country could be the same too. Now, why is Nigeria getting worse every year? I can still recall my brother's school fees at Unicross in the 80's was a little over 200 Naira. Now, fast forward to 2007, and I am reading that LASU is charging over 70 thousand Naira (including books). That's outrageous!. How many people can afford an education back home? Look at the quality of life back home. Just yesterday, I was with my in-law, and she was bemoaning the sad state of affairs in Nigeria. Graduates riding Okadas, because they can't find jobs. And for an Akwa Ibomite, I know it is true, because my state and my tribe is considered a minority. Now, disillusioned parents, noticing this trend may ask themselves the benefits of acquiring an education and choose to pull their wards out of school. What am I even writing? When I was in Nigeria the last time, I noticed that some of the girls dormitories at my alma mater had been converted into staff lounge. Which meant that boarding houses was becoming obsolete, due to the rising school fees.

Point is, we have the right to criticize Nigeria when the need arises. If Nigeria was any better, like it was in the 80's, most likely I would be home, warming myself by the fire hearth, roasting corn and hiding 'eben' under the firewood ash

Was it just me (though a classmate debunked it), but I felt that chilled coke cured malaria.

Applause to Denex, thanks for bringing up that list!

Yeah, but how can we really regard ourselves as independent when we have adopted the languages of our colonial master? Tell me, in the villages, when grandkids visit their grandparents, there is that feeling of alienation experienced by the generation, due to language differences. Some parents would even say with pride that their children do no know how to converse in their native dialect.

Do you guys honestly think that Oprah is losing sleep over the vituperations poured out on her by Nigerians on this board? Not that I am defending her or anything, but before alluding a quote to another person, you have to do some investigation, instead of relying on hearsays and all that. A prime example would be Tom Hilfiger and the nasty joke circulated on the board about his comments about blacks on Oprah show. Even after Oprah has gone publicly to announce that Hilfiger has never been a guest on her show, the same rumor is going on the internet.

Folks need to get busy instead of getting worked up over unsubstatantiated rumors!

The article I read pertained to Awolowo. I dont know if any cele leader made such an absurd claim.

Good point you brought out there, but truthfully, amorc runs counter to the tenets of Christianity. The Holy Bible states that Man is appointed to die once, and afterwards come judgement. That's the truth. Any Christian who does not believe in reincarnation would most certainly disassociate themselves from amorc.

Now what happened to awolowo? A staunch member of amorc, who even told his 'disciples' that he was greater than mohammed and - - - because he had more disciples than them. I read that in a Nigerian periodical, and when he died, according to stories that circulated, his 'disciples' were sorely disappointed when he did not rise up on the third day.

Unbelievable!

Galadriel, you know, this is something that crossed my mind a while back. Why do we have to adopt English Language as our Linga Franca, to the point of viewing our own languages with a negative vibe? Truth is that, any enforcement of a particular Nigerian language as the official language would create dissension among other ethnic groups, and perhaps give the 'favored' group a feeling of superiority over the rest. Maybe we can just set aside our differences and adopt just one of our native dialects. Sometimes ( and that falls on me too) I feel that having English as our official language defeats the purpose of being independent in the first place. On another thread, someone was criticizing the garb that a Nigerian official was wearing (it was our traditional garb) and the person was suggesting that the official should have choosen another outfit. Now, that did not seat well with some folks on this board.